Instructions for this essay assignment (relection paper). For this paper, you should think about what you want to get out of your practicum experience. The 90 hours you spend at this site should be an opportunity not only for you to give something to the organization at which you are working, but also an opportunity for you to develop professional skills and work towards some longer-term career goals. What kinds of expectations do you have for your involvement at the practicum site? How do you imagine your training in the field of human development will come into play in the work you will be doing? How do you expect your involvement at this site to assist you in your own career development? What are you hoping to get from the experience? What do you hope to give? Set some concrete goals for the semester and describe the steps you will take to meet these goals.

The practicum site I selected is an elementary school. I will be assisting a first grade teacher during the semester, helping her with her students, and other teacher responsibilities. This practicum site was selected because being a first grade teacher is one of my career options. One of the expectations for my involvement at the practicum site is to learn how children develop mentally in school. In first grade, students will be learning how to read, write, and how to solve mathematical problems. I would like to see how they learn and build knowledge observing their cognitive skills as well as their social skills. For instance, how do children create friends and how do they interact with one another? I also expect to observe patterns in children’s behaviors and attitudes associated to their grade level. How do children learn best, and how do teachers keep their students motivated to learn? In addition, the factors that are involved with teaching young children will be explored.

I believe my training in the field of Human Development will be useful in my practicum site because the children there are developing into future adults. The course I took called, Human Development 307I Childhood through Adolescents, explains the cognitive and social skills children have when they are about six to seven years old. The knowledge obtained from this class will help me understand how children develop in other areas as well. The current course I am taking called, Child Development and Family Studies 411 Individual Child Study and Guidance, will teach me how to provide guidance to children in family and community settings. In addition, the Human Development course 470 will give me the tools I need to be a good professional and to succeed with my career goals in the future.

Bizzy, I have taken this paragraph and rewritten it to let you see what I meant by being less wordy and better organized.

My study of Human Development will be useful in working with children.
The course,Human Development 307I Childhood through Adolescents, explained the cognitive and social skills of children six to seven years old. This class will help me understand how children develop in other areas as well. My current course, Child Development and Family Studies 411 Individual Child Study and Guidance, will teach me how to provide guidance to children in family and community settings. Children bring to school the environment in which they live, and teachers must be able to recognize and work with inherent problems. ( Human Development 470 will give me the tools I need to be a good professional and to succeed with my career goals in the future. ) This sentence doesn't say anything. What tools will it give you specifically?
These courses will give me the training required to approach children with confidence and competence.

I believe my training in the field of Human Development will be useful in my practicum site because the children there are developing into future adults. The course I took called, Human Development 307I Childhood through Adolescents, explains the cognitive and social skills children have when they are about six to seven years old. The knowledge obtained from this class will help me understand how children develop in other areas as well. The current course I am taking called, Child Development and Family Studies 411 Individual Child Study and Guidance, will teach me how to provide guidance to children in family and community settings. In addition, the Human Development course 470 will give me the tools I need to be a good professional and to succeed with my career goals in the future.

I expect my involvement at this site will assist me by giving me an insider perspective of what it is like to be a first grade teacher and what skills are required for this position. The practicum experience will provide insight of the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors involved in this career setting. For instance, I would like to know how the teacher helps those students who are struggling? How does the teacher manage her time, prepares her lectures or other school activities? How does she handle paper work and problematic social behaviors among children? How does she motivate her students to learn and stay on track? How does she interact with other school personnel, the students, and the students’ parents? Basically, I would like to explore all the areas that are involved with being a first grade teacher. .

I am hoping to gain experience working with children and becoming a good professional. This experience can provide some growth in my working skills, help me work well with others and independently. For instance, I can learn how to adapt to new situations or changes during this experience and how to be able to work productively with others. From this experience, I hope to discover my strengths, weaknesses, and to see whether teaching would be an option for me to do in the future. Also, to learn how to communicate well with co-workers and children, but most importantly, to build confidence in my working abilities and to develop good working skills.

In this experience I hope to help assist the teacher and make the children’s learning environment more productive. For instance, I can help the teacher by checking homework and grading tests or checking other student assignments. Also, I can help the teacher set up the children’s art work on walls or windows in the classroom or help with other class projects. The children can benefit having me there as a tutor because I can help the children who are struggling with their math, reading, and writing assignments. I can also serve as a good role-model to children because I like to help children think positively about themselves and motivate them to keep learning. By helping students develop confidence with their math, reading and writing skills, I believe they will be more willing to overcome challenges they may face in the future. The students at the practicum site can also benefit having me there because I can help guide them to make good choices and behave appropriately in school. In addition, I hope to help children who are experiencing emotional problems with their peers or with their family and help them cope with their emotions in healthy manner.

My first goal is to finish the 90 hours of work by the deadline by ensuring that I get a minimum of 6 hours of work completed for each week during this semester. My second goal is to learn more about this career and to discover whether teaching is something I want to pursue in the future. By going to work every week and making observations at this practicum site I will be able to determine whether this is a career option that I would like to pursue. My third goal is to learn how I can become a good professional. I expect to learn how to be a better professional by listening to the class discussions and reading the books that are required for class. I also, expect to learn to be a better professional through my practicum experience. My fourth goal is to earn an “A” in this class. I plan to invest more time into completing my work to the best of my abilities. I will work hard to ensure I get my assignments completed by the deadlines. I will participate in class and read all the readings. Overall, I will try my best to stay on track.